Using a DAW to prepare a live set with MPC1000

Ok ya'll, here's my first post on MPCForums. I figured I would come to this spot to get some MPCentric hep straight on. About the only post I found similar to this was viewtopic.php?f=15&t=165171&hilit=mpc+live+ableton , kind of dated and maybe I can express what I mean better than the OP.

I'm an SP404OG owner and I love that little machine. I can easily get to about 20 minutes of continuously sequenced tracks on the SP but I start filling up the sequence memory rather quickly...

So I have this weird workflow with the SP. I have it hooked up with Ableton and will record sequences/samples from my interface/DAW to the SP. So I can have my samples playing back the way they will sound from the SP from Ableton's sequencer and I can record other MIDI tracks which will eventually be recorded to the SP, be it an MS-20 mini, Volca Keys, Lil Phatty, or even Prophet 12 (my friend/studio partner has some awesome synths). The SP is awesome cause I can show up and play live with one box. The only problem is changing CF cards...

Here's a link to some music made with this weird workflow.
https://soundcloud.com/jmagee/heyheyhey-its-may-mixtape

I'm thinking the MPC could simplify this by just being able to export MIDI. I know Ableton BLOWS at MIDI in general; it only exports type 0 files for starters. I have MIDIMaestro and some other utilities where I could easily assemble a whole bunch of tracks, label them so they look nice, and export/load to the MPC. I could continue to use the SP as a phrase sampler (plays directly off CF cards, well over an hour of stereo sampling) opposed to jumping in immediately to JJOS for an "audio track" feature.

So I'm thinking of going with an MPC1000. It's small and portable (like wrap in a towel in the bottom of a backpack) with the 404 and I'm set for well over an hour. The individual outs would let me easily dub out my drum tracks with a mixer and effects unit. I should also be able to assemble a more complex arrangement done in a DAW in a tangible way.

I also want the MPC to become my drum machine, hands down. Just assemble my samples, whether made with recycle or chopped on the MPC, all in a .pgm format and I'll my drums are organized in programs. I haven't been able to commit to making a software sampler library and am torn between simply using Kontakt, Battery, or Ableton's simpler/sampler. It doesn't seem like I can easily go between different programs and I prefer just hitting record anymore (Saffire 40 so I'll have plenty of I/O to track something).

So some drawbacks. The MPC1000 IS NOT a multitimbral sampler but you can drive it's sampler from Ableton but will only be able to hear one program at a time for that selected track, correct? So if I wanted kick/snare on separate midi tracks it would be better to do this after the fact and the write the whole part per program when I'm ready to export to the MPC? Also, can you send pitch bend to an only an individual sample? Say the snare is on a single track and you send a pitch bend command in that track, will only the snare pitch or does the whole program pitch? When the sample is playing chromatically across 16 pads can you sequence this externally, either from a controller or computer sequencer, while in this play mode? There aren't any problems when you have say 30 80bar sequences chock full of note on/off message ready for playback? I the 100,000 sequencer really is an issue moving to a JJOS version with 300,000 notes should be a non-issue, right?

I'm sorry I'm chock full of questions. Somebody will probably appear and post a link to this exact issue covered. I'm really trying to get out of the computer screen live and commit to something opposed to tweaking computer sounds all day feeling uncomfortable about everything. I really get into the music more when I only have the 404 and playing live is the priority for me; I'm not going to make the next million dollar banger, I just want to share what I do with people. My overall plan for a live setup, coming from a massive rackmount computer with ridiculous interface and controllers, is an MPC1000 and SP404 as my workhorses. Run them into a real small format mixer with a Line6 DL4 on the master insert to loop/make noise and maybe add the Volca keys for live sequenced synth tweaking. Eventually get a decent keyboard in this setup but I would make this work for now.

Super long post, any takers?

JMagee wrote:So some drawbacks. The MPC1000 IS NOT a multitimbral sampler

it is with JJOS. You can set it up with JJOS to make tracks 1-16 midi channles from 1-16. Also you can assign midi through to active track or not. So yeah not with the Akai OS but we all dump that OS and go JJOS. There are a few versions so look at the comparison chart and check it out.

You can use same programs on each track and only midi note number assigned to that pad will voice that sample. So even though its same program on different tracks you can still just send the notes you want to hear on each.

also there is an instrument program that you should look at in JJOS to as it will make it easier to make a autochromatic program. you can still set it up in akai os just harder, and its midi able so you can send notes and play from external sequencer.

I do not use a DAW cept to record stuff really and polish it so I actually use MP live and it can run lots of hardware and I have yet to run out of event data yet in OSXL or OS 3. This is over many bars up to 120 and many tracks no probs.

so with MPC and JJOS you should be able to do everything you want. of course there are limits but none seem to be about the questions you have asked.

Did I miss anything?

Yeah man, that pretty much fills out my questions. I appreciate it a ton. I had only really dived into Akai's manual for any amount of in depth capabilities and was only really contemplating Akai's OS in the meantime because JJOS seems so **** massive. Like it does everything.

It's great to know that JJOS will allow the sampler to function 16 part multitimbral, that would definitely save some time down the line. I know you mentioned being DAWless but in terms of a sequencer, the grooves, and Ableton's MIDI effects are awesome. But besides the ease of creativity and dialing things in that's about where it ends; to do an entire live set with the computer isn't that attractive to me.

So it looks like the MPC1000 will be the brain of my live set. I'm super hype now. Thanks again.

Btw, a post you had made about patterns I read last night before bed had my head whirling with questions about JJOS.

buy a bigger CF card for the 404??

bliprock wrote:Btw, a post you had made about patterns I read last night before bed had my head whirling with questions about JJOS.

Yeah it will do that, but when you got the MP in front of you and you do it yourself its easy to learn really.
Glad I could help and you can ask more if you want, as you seem to be the one of the few that actually search threads so kudos.
The only draw back with MP live is the need to stop and load every once in a while depending. So 404 is something I am looking at to or another MP just to fill gaps live. Its a good idea if done right.

@Calvinhobbes I wish it worked like that. The problem I'm running into is that the 404 simply doesn't have enough sequencer memory. It has a 20,000 maximum and it isn't like you can mute elements while the sequence is running. The other option is to snag another SP so I can resample easily back and forth between the two instruments. But I have an SP404 OG and not the SP404SX which has pretty much unlimited sampling time (up to 32GB cards, like 18+ hours of stereo sampling) but the OG can only read 1GB cards. I can finish about 4 to 6 tunes 2-3 minutes long before the sequencer memory is full.

@Bliprock I appreciate your feedback and the multi-timbral aspect has me sold immediately. I'm starting to look into all of the possibilities JJOS has to offer, which is super daunting, which really expand the MPC to the same class as like the 4000/5000 and Roland's MV series (Massive fan of the MV-8800 here). I'm definitely getting an MPC but whether to get the 2500 or 1000 is a little daunting. I initially thought the 1000 would be the jam because of portability but the extra outs, extra q link functions, more midi ports, tilting screen, and DEDICATED KEYPAD make the 2500 super attractive. Thinking about editing things I'm sure that numeric key gets worn out after a while or somewhat tedious. I guess one big deciding factor will be weight/size which I suppose I can go look up right now..

Just throwing this out there - I've never (not once) even touched the numeric keys outside of naming samples. If portability is what you're after I would not let the dedicated numeric keys of the 2500 be a deciding factor (those extra outputs + MIDI I/O is pretty shweet though).

I have an MPC 1000 w/ JJOS1 on it and haven't looked back. Just forward... at the other JJOS versions.